Free Some Like It Deadly by Heather Long

surprise—apparently his candor
had
startled her. She brushed his forearm, a light caress, soothing and electric in one. The unexpected sensation lanced through his temper. “He won’t. No worries. It’s your turn and they’re impatient. I don’t think Kravitts is done with his show yet.”
    Grateful to be on the same wavelength, Richard focused his attention on the men waiting for them. Had Miranda ever suffered this type of treatment? He couldn’t recall—but then he’d never brought Miranda to the course with him.
    So why had he brought Kate?
    They’d wanted a casual game, to curry favor and win points so they could wheedle a deal, or at least open the talks to one. It was how business was done in higher circles—meetings at the club, a game of golf, a drink afterward and the promise of potential business. A little oily and sometimes more than a little corrupt, but how men played at these levels. But Kravitts should have leashed his pet actor and never involved Kate; it just pissed Richard off.
    * * *
    After the last hole, Kate had ridden with Richard back to the clubhouse. He’d left her to wait while he vanished into the locker room. She leaned against the wall. After watching him handle the three men on the course, she wasn’t worried about them in the locker room with him, but she couldn’t say the same for anyone else using the club.
    Though the club was approved by Peterson because the grand duke often used it alongside Richard, so she suspected they had an inside man, or three, on the staff.
    Walsinger appeared in the doorway and gave her a pleasant nod before heading deeper into the club. No sign of Richard or of Kravitts and his little puppy dog, Bing, either.
    The next fifteen minutes passed in agonizing slowness. Spending her day off at the golf course hadn’t been on her agenda, but when Richard showed up at her door without preamble or warning she’d agreed.
    Not that I needed to
,
and I could certainly have made a case for staying home.
    So why hadn’t she?
    Pushing aside that thought, she glanced at her watch. What was taking him so long? Worry ratcheted the tension in her spine. Maybe he’d taken a shower—not that he’d seemed overly warm from the game, but then she didn’t know about his club habits.
    “I’m sure it was a misunderstanding.” Kravitts’s voice echoed down the hallway, alerting her a second before the man himself appeared alongside Richard. Bing followed, a half-frown on his face.
    “Well then, clarify the part for me that I misunderstood,” Richard said smoothly, but something dangerous lurked in his too polite tone. “You scheduled a tee time with me to discuss business, but invited along Walsinger—a man you know will never be allowed at the table—and your brother-in-law who is only suited for a blackjack table. You then avoid any presumptive discussion of business while letting Walsinger hurl insults. In the meanwhile, your brother-in-law spent the majority of his time hitting on my assistant in an attempt to get information on Her Royal Highness, knowing full well that’s a breach of ethics and privilege at this club.”
    Both men had gone very still during Richard’s recitation and Kravitts shot Bing an angry look before his expression smoothed. “I didn’t see your assistant rebuffing him or I would have certainly said something—”
    Richard lifted a hand. “I’m sorry, do you mean to imply that you have no problem with your brother-in-law pawing a woman and making sexual overtures during a
business
meeting—or any other kind of meeting, for that matter—provided she doesn’t complain?”
    The temperature in the room plummeted. Kate wasn’t the only one who noticed the icy force of Richard’s temper. Bing paled and actually took a step back, but Kravitts struggled to find a response, mouth gaping like a fish.
    “Of course not, you have my apologies. It won’t happen again.” Without another word, Kravitts turned and seemed to notice her